Co-op plastic bag charges will help a neighbour near you

Gillian Loney

It’s another week of good news for Good Causes, and the many vulnerable people helped by the group in East Renfrewshire.

The charity has been chosen as a recipient of the Co-op Local Fund, putting all those 5p plastic bag charges to good use in your community.

That means a £1,500 cheque for East Ren Good Causes, which helps to fund odd jobs from laptops for young carers to home adaptations for the disabled.

The outcome was decided by a public vote on social media, with the Prince’s Trust and British Red Cross picking up a further £750 each from the Co-op in Newton Mearns.

Russell Macmillan — who founded ERGC to “give back” following a life-saving double transplant in 2007 — thanked his wife, fellow director Yvonne, for entering the competition.

He added: “I would also like to say a massive thank you to Facebook groups Mearns Gossip Girls and Sell and Swap Clarkston and to local churches for sharing info on the Co-op Local Fund and to everyone else who voted for us, ensuring that this £1,500 will go to love neighbours in a street near you.

“We are trying to give our neighbours a helping hand, and this money is likely to be match-funded by other groups to solve whatever problems arrive on our own patch.”

For more info on the charity, visit www.ergoodcauses.co.uk or call Russell on 639 8230.